CDO Workforce coordinates and focuses employment, training and education development resources across three counties, providing service to employed people, unemployed people and employers alike. Our goal is to improve the long-term growth and development of the work force.
In its effort to fight poverty, Opportunities for Otsego is seeking community volunteers to serve as Navigators. Navigators agree to be trained in the Opportunity Community model and commit to using their networks to assist Neighbors living in poverty to access resources and supports for moving and staying out of poverty.
April Training: April 10, 2018 from 8:00 AM to Noon OR 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Once trained, Navigators will be paired with Neighbors that are struggling with poverty. Pairing will occur at the Opportunity Conference, scheduled for Saturday, May 12th in Oneonta.
The conference will be led by Dr. Donna Beegle, a nationally renowned speaker who broke free from a life of generational migrant-labor poverty.
To learn more about types of Navigators or download the flyer, click here.
Anyone interested in helping should contact Autumn Torres at 607.433.8005 or .
In his 2016 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo announced the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI); a community based initiative to combat poverty. Sixteen communities across New York State were selected based on their high rates of poverty. The City of Oneonta was one chosen community, as it has a very high rate of poverty, with 18% of youth under 18 years old living in poverty.
The City of Oneonta designated Opportunities for Otsego (OFO) to coordinate the City of Oneonta’s poverty reduction initiative.
Strategies will be implemented under the theories of Dr. Donna Beegle’s Opportunity Community Model. As one of the first Opportunity Communities in New York State, The City of Oneonta aims to help children and their families living in poverty break through barriers and access resources and support to move beyond and stay out of poverty.
Navigator Volunteers do not have to reside in the City of Oneonta.
April 10, 2018 is Navigator Training for community volunteers who agreed to serve as Navigators. Training sessions are 8:00AM-Noon or 1:00PM–5:00PM. To participate, e-mail: . Other training dates will be scheduled if you miss the April 10 training.
Here is the link to the ESPRI page on the OFO web site. Donna Beegle’s videos are towards the bottom. http://www.ofoinc.org/find-program/espri/
Upcoming Events:
04.10.18 - Navigator Training: Half-day training to provide community volunteers, known as Navigators, with a foundation for understanding poverty and strategies to help Neighbors break through the "iron cage" of poverty and move forward. Training sessions are 8:00AM-Noon and 1:00PM-5:00PM. To participate, e-mail: . Other training dates will be scheduled if you miss the April 10 training.
05.12.18 - Opportunity Conference: Neighbor training and pairing with community Navigators. Facilitated by Dr. Beegle/Communication Across Barriers.
About the author
Our goal is to help job seekers not just find a job, but develop and manage a career. That means helping them when they have a job and when they are looking. We also strive to help employers find the workers they need quickly and the resources to improve training, workforce retention and workforce restructuring.
A DRC is a Disability Resource Coordinator, someone who helps individuals with disabilities find employment.
High School Equivalency (HSE/GED) A high school equivalency or GED/HSE is a recognized alternative to a high school diploma.
Work-Based Learning (WBL) provides students and job seekers with real-life work experience that compliments their academic studies. Typically they include job shadowing, mentoring, internships, and apprenticeships.
A Team Helper is anyone who is the lead support person to the job seeker with disabilities along their career journey. It can be a family member, friend, employment counselor, Disability Resource Coordinator (DRC), or case manager.
A stop-gap job is temporary employment until something better or more permanent can be obtained.
Basic needs refers to the goods and services necessary for a minimum standard of living. This includes access to food, safe shelter, clothing, and sanitation. Reliable transportation and education can also be considered a basic need.
A safe space is intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations.
Competitive integrated employment (CIE) is work performed by a person with an impairment or health-related disability (health impairment) within an integrated setting. Wages are at least minimum wage or higher and at a rate comparable to non-disabled workers performing the same tasks.
For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education.